When I first arrived in Annecy without any French language, and in need of prescription glasses, I noted Au Fidèle Berger, as a land mark.

Conveniently located on the corner of 2 Rue Royale, in the center of Annecy, this location was were I could remember how far the lake was, how far the bus was, and not be too lost. The windows were welcoming, the outdoor tables, charming and the name read, “the faithful burger.”

While that may seem insulting now that I know the actual name and meaning, at the time it was endearing. I was homesick and seeing the ‘faithful burger’ made me smile.

After I got some much needed reading glasses, and visited inside, I realized that my faithful burger landmark was ‘Au Fidèle Berger‘. This translates to “the faithful shepherd.” This is no ordinary chocolatier or patisserie, this is an Annecy landmark.

I am always up for new things to do, especially if they are wellness related.

I saw an event called BeFit being advertised so this past weekend, I attended the BeFit event at the Grand Port in aix-les-bains, France. The location was ideal. Aix-lesbains, aka, the Alps Riviera is located on Lac Bourget and is nestled between the French Alps and the Jura mountains.

Luckily, the weather was great too! Hot enough to paddle board and swim and but cool enough for a run. There is little humidity in the French Alps which makes it very pleasant.

All towns in France have a Mairie, the town hall and Mayor’s office that is often located in the center of the town and usually has a church close by. In fact, if you select a town without an address (just the city) on a GPS in France, it will take you to the Mairie. The Mairie is responsible for governance of the town as well as culture and community. Usually, there is a benevolent, aka, volunteers that form associations and propose and approve activities.

These activities range from celebrations like the ‘fête nationale’, Bastille Day on July 14th, and ‘vide-greniers et brocantes’, a big neighborhood garage sale, music concerts, sport activities such as yoga and walking groups, as well as workshops. If you’re lucky, the French town will offer many activities.

‘Mon petit village’ in the French Alps recently offered a Cours d’Art Floral that translates to a floral art course. I immediately signed up, as Read More

It’s tulip season! Every spring, the Netherlands celebrates their native flower with a grand Tulip Festival. Tulips bloom throughout Holland starting mid April and ending in mid May (depending on the weather).

I planned our trip to coincide with King’s Day, (formerly Queen’s Day), which is Holland’s biggest street party of the year, celebrating the King. Amsterdam was bursting with orange colored festivities, the color of the Royal family. Everywhere was music, people and the color orange, from clothing and flowers to bicycles. It was great to be in Amsterdam for the King’s Day celebration.

The next morning, we picked up our bike rentals and a map to begin our tulip journey. There were many bike paths and tours to choose from and we decided on a combination of 4 different routes. All of the routes had designated bicycle lanes and the path was pretty flat. The tulip route runs from April 21 – May 6th, 2018.

We followed the tulip trail from town to town, past the windmills, through the rain and wind, sometimes walking our bikes because the wind was too strong.

We stopped a few times including once at de Orchideeën Hoeve, a tropical paradise attraction filled with unique orchid flowers, animals, and other fun things. It was a perfect place to escape the rain, visit and have lunch in the interior garden with floating flowers from the air and lotus flowers in the water.

We biked an average of 120km / 75 miles per day.

Carey Taylor – Le Prince biking through the tulips in the Netherlands.

It has been on my bucket list to bike through the tulips during spring in the Netherlands, but Read More